Established veterans return to their previous stellar form; It doesn’t happen often in the NFL, but when it does, it’s a huge boost for any team. Which players who endured difficult and relatively unproductive seasons last year are poised to bounce back in 2024?
Before I start, I didn’t include players who were simply injured for all or most of 2023. I can’t go out like that. These are players who struggled for other reasons. Alright, let’s get to the list.
Samuel has not been a bust in the NFL second round. And, hell, he began his time as a pro receiver less than a month after turning 21 in 2017, which in NFL years is like four decades ago.
But his time in Washington, like many of his stays there, was a disappointment production-wise, and it wasn’t entirely his fault. In 2021, Samuel battled a litany of injuries. Then, the last two seasons, he hovered around the 60-catch, 600-yard range. At nearly 6-foot, 200 pounds with 4.31 speed and high-end explosiveness, an obvious jet sweep, backfield and pre-snap alignment versatility, Samuel can be a lot better than a 60-catch, 600 wide receiver. yards in this league.
He will now catch passes from Josh Allen, who has been QB1, QB1, QB2 and QB1 in fantasy football over the past four seasons. And Samuel enters Buffalo’s offense without Stefon Diggs. Only the Chargers have more “available” targets and target percentage from 2023 to replace.
The icing on the cake: Joe Brady will coordinate Samuel. Why does it matter? Under Brady, during his first OC NFL coach job in 2020, the former Ohio State star had his best professional season to date: 77 catches for 851 yards. Samuel is very poised to have a professional resurgence at the age of 28 in Buffalo.
Barkley almost reached 1,000 yards last season, which has become a true milestone in today’s NFL, but he did it without much efficiency. His 3.9 yards per carry average was the second-lowest in a full season the uber-talented running back has ever posted. Heck, in 2021, Barkley averaged just 3.7 yards per. And today, that low YPC average will absolutely deter any club from running football.
But fortunately for Barkley, jumping from New York to Philadelphia within the NFC East means he goes from one of the worst, most porous, and virtually non-continuous offensive lines to one of the best blocking teams in football. Sure, Jason Kelce’s absence will likely lead to some internal growing pains to start the season, but the Eagles have wisely prepared for the post-Kelce era: Cam Jurgens should be able to do many of the same things Kelce did on the move from the position. central.
Last year, D’Andre Swift averaged 4.6 yards percentage and all of the Eagles’ reserve running backs exceeded 4.2 yards percentage. And, vitally, Barkley is not technically “old” by NFL running back standards in the sense that he has not yet reached the dreaded age-28 season. Philadelphia will want to run it with Barkley and Jalen Hurts. Often. I expect over 1,000 yards for Saquon, well above 4.0 yards per tote in 2024.
Just a few years ago, Chinn was a prototype. A new-age model for what teams wanted and needed at the safety position. At 6-foot-3, 221 pounds with 4.45 speed and elite explosiveness traits, Chinn proved capable of doing it all in the back seven. Covering tight ends with men, playing linebacker and stopping inside and outside runs, blitzing. He was tremendous as a rookie in 2020, finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after a season of 117 tackles, five pass breakups and two return runs.
He surpassed 100 tackles in 2021, but then battled injuries and played in a low-level defense without much help beyond Derrick Brown around him in Carolina. In his final season with the Panthers, Chinn played only 27% of the defensive snaps, primarily due to health issues.
And now he’s part of Dan Quinn’s acquisition of Washington under new ownership. And let’s just say Quinn has experience coaching productive safeties in his past, particularly safety-linebacker hybrids like Kam Chancellor, Keanu Neal and, most recently, Donovan Wilson and Markquese Bell in Dallas.
Chinn is only 26 years old. And Washington’s defense will be better than its No. 26 ranking in DVOA a season ago — the club has added plenty of serious additions to that side of the ball this offseason. Chinn will be a key element for that improvement in 2024.
Davis was so incredibly productive in Tampa Bay that it almost got to the point where it was easy to take him for granted in that secondary. He had 19 pass deflections in his second season and remained in the double-digit range for the next four seasons before recording nine in 2023. But he had a pair of interceptions last season, the most since his four-pick campaign in 2020. , and While it seems like Davis has been playing for a decade, he won’t just turn 28 in December.
The former Auburn tight cornerback certainly played on defenses with quality pass rush units in Tampa Bay, but most of those were early in his pro career, and we know how strong the marriage between pass rush and coverage is. in the NFL. Last year, the Buccaneers had the 21st-best pressure creation rate at 33.6%.
His new team, the Lions, were fourth at 41.6%, and Detroit added DJ Reader at nose tackle this offseason. The once budding superstar cornerback, who dealt with injuries during his crisis, is set to bounce back in 2024 in the Motor City as the club’s No. 1 borderline defender.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.